Container Shipping News

INTTRA, the e-commerce network for containerized ocean shipping, has identified the five fastest ocean carriers when it comes to electronic booking — those that respond to shipper e-booking requests most quickly.

The recovery in container shipping will be driven by the formation of new mega-alliances between carriers and further cuts in unit costs, rather than a rebalancing of supply and demand, according to Drewry Shipping Consultants.

Spot rates from Hong Kong to Los Angeles plateaued this week, highlighting three straight weeks of stability following a volatile September.

Carriers serving the trans-Pacific westbound trade from the U.S. to Asia will attempt to raise rates as of Nov. 1, arguing that rates currently “fall well below breakeven levels.”

Containerized exports from Asia to Europe and North America increased year-over-year in August, but spot rates in the Asia-to-Europe and North America trade lanes dropped, according to Container Trade Statistics.

The ports of Seattle and Tacoma are taking a bold step to improve the competitiveness of the Pacific Northwest gateway by unifying the planning, marketing and management of their marine cargo terminals and related functions under a single body.

In a recently issued paper, former Maersk executives Andy Lane and Charles Moret, now partners at Container Transport International Consultancy, say growing pressure from larger ships can be managed through improved collaboration among carriers and terminals.

Growth rate figures from the World Trade Organization appear to be an underestimation of growth in container volumes, and as a result, SeaIntel Maritime Analysis still expects global container demand growth to be 4 percent to 6 percent in 2014, despite downward revisions to WTO forecasts.

Bigger ships, and more of them, will be soon be able to call at the port of Tianjin after the Chinese government approved a plan to open up a larger portion of the port's waters to foreign cargo ships and add beths.

U.S. shippers expect volume growth through their supply chains over the coming year to be less than previously forecast, but they are ready to fork over far more money to ship freight as rates for nearly all modes rise.

Carriers are canceling sailings from Asia to Australia to deal with overcapacity and low vessel utilization rates, Drewry Maritime Research says.

Evergreen Line is offering a new container service in the intra-Asia trade through a slot-charter arrangement on the recently launched India-Far East Express service.

With piracy in West Africa on the rise, a newly released report highlights how pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea are far more violent than in Somalia and less-focused on ransom, requiring the industry to take a different approach to curb attacks.

The Shenzhen government could pay nearly all of the extra costs associated with switching to low-sulfur fuel while at berth in the city’s port as a result of a new government-sanctioned program.

“If it bleeds, it leads,” is a saying in the news industry that means bad news gets higher ratings than good news, and that rang true on JOC.com this past week.

U.S. imports of wooden bedroom furniture by dollar value have increased for four consecutive quarters, driven by an ongoing recovery in the real estate market and falling national unemployment numbers...

A coalition of soybean exporters urged the U.S. freight transportation industry Friday to invest in infrastructure, equipment and process improvements to maintain the role of the American farmer as the world’s preeminent supplier of soybeans.

In an effort to ease congestion at the Lagos Port Complex, Nigeria is looking into ways to encourage shippers to use the country's underutilized eastern ports more.

Multiple container lines have planned general rate increases in numerous trade lanes in October and November, although any gains achieved could be temporary as overcapacity and sluggish global demand continue.

CMA CGM has teamed up with Sri Lankan logistics group Hayleys Advantis to set up a shared service center in Colombo.

Germany’s Federal Court again delayed a final ruling on plans to deepen the navigation channels in the river Elbe to allow the port of Hamburg to handle the latest generation of mega-container ships.

Low ocean carrier rates are to blame for much of the congestion afflicting U.S. container ports, several ocean carriers and terminal operators said at a Federal MaritimeCommission hearing this week.

Spot rates from Asia to northern Europe in 2014 are nearly half of what they were a year ago, according to the World Container Index.

Mediterranean Shipping Co today announced the appointment of Diego Aponte, son of founder Gianluigi Aponte, as President and CEO of the world’s second largest ocean carrier.

Carriers on the trans-Pacific have unveiled a bold new pricing approach to the 2015-16 contract season that will establish minimum rate levels and improve the bunker fuel cost recovery mechanism.

A preliminary vessel design has been unveiled for a proposed domestic short sea container service connecting New York City and Portland, Maine.

Two indices show Chinese manufacturing production rose in September at a time that factories would normally be powering down as demand to fill Western holiday orders wanes.

Some bad news for shippers: Switching to low-sulfur fuel on a global basis in 2020 could cost the container shipping industry up to $100 billion per year, which will likely cause container freight rates to rise as carriers attempt to pass the costs onto beneficial cargo owners.

While congestion continues to plague ports in North America and northern Europe, a number of other incidents are popping up that are also likely to negatively impact the global schedule reliability of ocean carriers.

The benchmark spot rate from Hong Kong to the U.S. West Coast remained unchanged this week, despite the potential for weakness tied to China’s week-long Golden Week holiday in early October.

The pilots who guide ships through the Panama Canal fear that the navigation methods chosen to guide post-Panamax vessels into the new expanded locks and through the enlarged canal channels run higher risks of accidents than existing practices.

A Zim Integrated Shipping Services ship forced to abandon its scheduled call at the Port of Oakland over the weekend is now docked at the Port of Long Beach and unloading.

The Middle East-based short sea shipping line Admiral Feeders has introduced a direct feeder link between India and Iran.

Carriers operating in the Asia-Europe and trans-Pacific trades could fall victims to their own tactics, as Alphaliner predicts their refusal to trim capacity and the delivery of big ships could cause major spot rate erosion.

Nearly $300 million in subsidies were given to four Chinese ship lines today, as the Chinese government begins to roll out parts of a six-year plan to update its shipping industry.

Maersk Line has announced low-sulfur surcharges of up to $160 per 20-foot container on the North Atlantic and lesser amounts on other trade routes to offset the cost of complying with regulations requiring ships to switch to cleaner fuels in 2015.

The idle container ship fleet has shrunk to a three-year low, driven by rising carrier demand for Panamax vessels of 3,000 TEUs to 5,100 TEUs capacity, according to Alphaliner.

Bunker fuel prices in Rotterdam, a global indicator, held steady this week though the charge per metric ton is historically lower than in previous years.

Iran and Oman plan to launch a shipping line to boost maritime trade between the two countries by the end of the year.